In article <3.0.3.16.20000830204123.23af9ec2 at mailer.isn.net>,
Paul Sinclair Stewart <abiogen at isn.net> wrote:
> In a Department of Agriculture trial here on Prince Edward Island, Canada about 15 years ago, alder, poplar, and birch worked well, in descending order of yield. Overall, poplar was the fastest to inoculate, with moderate yields within 6 months.
> ********************************************************************
> Paul S. Stewart c/o ABIOGEN AGRI-FOOD SERVICES
> Marshfield Manse, RR #3 Charlottetown,
> Prince Edward Island, CANADA C1A 7J7
> Tel: (902) 566-4078 email: abiogen at isn.net> "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate"
> *********************************************************************
>Thanks for posting, Paul. I knew that birch had been tried, but didn't
know where. I have first-hand experience in a number of other bedlog
substrates including Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophylla); Eastern Red oak
(Quercus pallustra); Oregon White oak (Quercus garryana); Sugar maple;
Red alder (Alnus rubra); Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) and a few
other species. While I have not personally tried birch or beech, I know
both have worked well. I suspect you may be at the northern limits or
beyond for beech and cottonwood, but it is possible that Quaking aspen
(Populus tremuloides) could be found in eastern BC, and could be a
suitable bedlog also.
In my research, I also came across an interesting note. While most bedlog
users try to harvest bedlogs during winter when the sap is stored, it is
also possible to harvest bedlogs during nearly anytime of year that the
bedlog is not badly damaged during felling. This means that if the
shiitake grower is willing to accept a 10% decrease in total yield, they
could logically expect to obtain bedlogs at any time of year.
Paul Stamets in Mushroom Cultivator and/or Growing Gourmet & Medicinal
Mushrooms has mentioned that spacebags with sawdust/bran/calcium have
produced up to 100% of their substrate weight in fresh weight mushrooms.
I can't help but think bedlogs should produce similar weights if their
growing parameters were completely known.
Daniel B. Wheeler
www.oregonwhitetruffles.com
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